Progressive rock
Progressive rock, also known as prog rock, is a subgenre of rock music. which became popular in the United Kingdom, with subsequent development in Germany, Argentina, Italy, Chile, Mexico, the United States, and France during the mid-to-late 1960s and 1970s. It developed out of psychedelic rock and originated, like than art rock, as an attempt to give rock music greater weight and artistic credibility. The bands abandoned the short pop single in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more often associated with art rock. i>jazz or classical music in an effort to give rock music the same level of musical sophistication and critical respect. Some songs were replaced by musical suites that often stretched as long as 20, 30 or even 40 minutes long and contained symphonic influences, extended musical themes, lyrics of philosophical-esoteric content and orchestrations. s complex.
Progressive rock saw a high level of popularity throughout the 1970s, especially the mid-1970s. Bands and musicians like Kansas, Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Camel, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and The Alan Parsons Project were the most influential groups in the genre and were some of the most popular acts of the day, although there were many other, often highly influential bands that experienced a lesser degree of commercial success. The popularity of the genre waned during the second half of the decade. The majority consensus holds that the rise of punk rock caused this, although in reality a number of factors contributed to this decline. Progressive rock bands achieved commercial success well into the 1980s, albeit with changed formations and more compact song structures.
The genre grew out of the classic rock experiments of bands like The Moody Blues, Procol Harum and The Nice of the 1960s.[citation needed] Most of the notable bands of the genre's 1970s heyday fall into the symphonic rock category, in which classical orchestrations and compositional techniques blend with rock music. Other subgenres exist, including the more accessible neo-progressive rock of the 1980s, the jazz-influenced Canterbury sound of the 1960s and 1970s, and Rock in Opposition. from the late 1970s and onward, more political and experimental. Progressive rock has influenced genres such as krautrock, new wave, and post-punk. A revival, often known as new prog, occurred at the turn of the 21st century and has enjoyed a cult following ever since. And that is why progressive rock bands have influenced the world of music in a good way.
History
Sources of Progressive Rock
From an instrumental point of view, the work of some musicians from the early XX century such as Bartók, Debussy and Stravinsky is an essential reference for all progressive rock. His influence is especially visible in the development of intricate rhythmic passages and irregular time signatures (5/4, 7/8, 13/16 etc.), which also have a precedent in Eastern European music. On the more experimental side of the genre, the influence of avant-garde electronic music composers, such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, can also be observed. From the combination of classical elements with others taken from jazz and rock comes the peculiar sound typical of progressive rock.
Forerunners
Allmusic cites the poetry of Bob Dylan and the bands The Mothers of Invention with Freak Out! (1966) and The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) as samples of the "early sounds of progressive rock and art rock", while progressiverock.com cites the latter as their "starting point". Already in previous albums, such as Rubber Soul and Revolver, they started to use oriental music and instruments that are not common in rock. The band East of Eden also did it with the use of eastern harmonies and instruments such as the Sumerian saxophone on the 1969 album Mercator Projected. This would later spread to progressive rock bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Electric Light Orchestra, Jethro Tull, Supertramp or Gentle Giant.
Freak Out!, released in 1966, was a mix of progressive rock, garage rock, and avant-garde. In the same year, the band "1-2-3", which later changed its name to Clouds, began experimenting with song structure, including improvisations and multi-layered arrangements. that year, The Byrds released "Eight Miles High," a pioneering psychedelic rock single, with lead guitar heavily influenced by John Coltrane's jazzy style. Later that year, The Who released A Quick One, the first example of rock opera and considered by some to be the first epic progressive rock album.
In 1967, Jeff Beck released the single 'Beck's Bolero', inspired by Maurice Ravel's bolero and later that year, Procol Harum released the single 'A Whiter' Shade of Pale", influenced by Bach. Also in 1967, the Moody Blues released Days of Future Passed, combining classical orchestral music with classic rock instrumentation and song structure. Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), contained about 10 minutes of instrumental improvisation on the song "Interstellar Overdrive".
In the late 1960s, many rock bands began to incorporate classical and oriental music instruments, as well as experiment with improvisations and longer compositions. Some, like the English Soft Machine, began to experiment with mixes of rock and jazz. Other bands and artists recorded albums with full orchestras such as Deep Purple on their album Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969) and The Nice on their work Five Bridges (1970). This use of classical music would be consolidated in the 1970s with works such as the orchestral recording of Amon Düül II in Made in Germany (1975), Pink Floyd with Atom Heart Mother (1970), Rick Wakeman with Journey to the Center of the Earth (1974), or various works by Frank Zappa, to name a few.
First bands
Bands that fueled progressive rock in its early stages were Traffic, Jeff Beck, Family, Jethro Tull, and Genesis; while King Crimson, Camel, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Van der Graaf Generator represent the genre at its peak. Bands of the genre formed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including The Moody Blues (1964), Pink Floyd (1965), Soft Machine (1966), Barclay James Harvest (1966), Gong (1967), Genesis (1967), Van der Graaf Generator (1967), Jethro Tull (1967), The Nice (1967), Yes (1968), Rush (1968), Caravan (1968), King Crimson (1969), Supertramp (1969), Gentle Giant (1969), Wishbone Ash (1969), Curved Air (1970), Electric Light Orchestra (1970), Renaissance (1969) and The Alan Parsons Project (1976),
Although these bands hail mostly from the British Isles, the genre grew in popularity in continental Europe, leading the way on the German scene. One of the countries with one of the strongest prog scenes was always Germany (the so-called krautrock), with names like Triumvirat, Embryo, Guru Guru, Eloy, Amon Düül II, Can, Jane or Faust, among many others, while Tangerine Dream, the first Kraftwerk or Popol Vuh were the referents of German electronic progressive music (Berlin School), which was closely related to progressive music.
Italian progressive rock has also been an important and very fertile subgenre (rather than a geographical variant) led by PFM, Le Orme and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, who gained significant international recognition. Among the pioneers of this country, Franco Battiato from the 1970s stands out (in the reissue of Darwin! by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, from 2013, there is a song that they perform as a duet). Other notable Italian bands were New Trolls, Area, Goblin, Campo di Marte, Museo Rosenbach, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Maxophone or Locanda delle Fate.
Similarly, in other European countries a movement of progressive rock bands began to emerge, such as Focus, Kayak, Ekseption and Trace formed in the Netherlands, Ange, Gong and Magma in France, or Aphrodite's Child in Greece, led by the pioneer of electronic music Vangelis together with the singer and bassist Demis Roussos, who after their beginnings of psychedelic pop, crowned their career with a double album of rock progressive before breaking up: 666 (1972).
Scandinavia, for its part, was represented by Swedish bands like Samla Mammas Manna or Kaipa, and the Finnish band Wigwam, among others.
Peak of popularity and decline
The popularity of progressive rock bands peaked in the mid-1970s, when artists in the genre regularly led reader polls in major popular music magazines in the United States. Great Britain and the United States, and albums like Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells topped the charts. In that time, several progressive rock bands had formed in North America. Kansas, which had actually been around in one form or another since 1971, became one of the most commercially successful progressive rock bands.
Similarly, the Electric Light Orchestra, which was formed in 1970, with a strong influence from The Beatles, a markedly symphonic sound and a strong presence of string instruments, had its greatest success in the mid-1970s, when they oriented towards a more accessible style. Pop star Todd Rundgren turned to prog with his new band, Utopia, and Canadians Rush became a major band, with a string of hit albums stretching back to the mid-1990s. 1970 to present.
Eder states that this album "suffered from bad sound and lack of inspiration" and "made the devotion of fans and critics even more subdued." He states that "the end [of progressive rock] was immediate: in 1977, the new generation of listeners was even more interested in having a good time than the audiences of the 1970s, and had no patience for a 30-minute suite of progressive rock or concept albums based on Tolkien stories". He claims that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, 'ELP was barely functioning as a unit, and was not producing music at its full potential; Genesis redefined itself... as a pop-rock band; and Yes had returned to writing four-minute songs... and even releasing singles".
In 1974, four of the biggest progressive rock bands, Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis and King Crimson all went on indefinite hiatus or experienced lineup changes. Members of Yes and ELP began doing solo work, as well as Genesis singer Peter Gabriel, who left the band (which would continue with Phil Collins as vocalist), and Robert Fripp, who announced the end of King Crimson after the release. Network.
When in 1977, Yes and ELP played again, they had some success, but were unable to maintain their previous dominance. Rush also changed their sound: according to The Canadian Encyclopedia, from "1975 to 1982... when Rush co-produced their music with Terry Brown, the trio fused elements of progressive rock (such as complex time signatures and virtuosity) with the emphasis on heavy metal that he had shown on the first albums'. However, Progressive Rock Central magazine states that Rush only released two progressive rock albums A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres.
The advent of punk rock and disco music in the 1970s helped to mobilize critical opinion and the public in the UK towards a simpler and more aggressive style of rock, thereby which progressive bands were increasingly dismissed as pretentious and over-the-top, ending progressive rock's reign as a leading style within rock. However, established progressive rock bands retained a strong fan base; Rush, Genesis, ELP, Yes and Pink Floyd regularly entered the best-selling album charts and went on massive headlining tours.
In many bands that emerged from punk, such as Japan, Cabaret Voltaire, Ultravox, Simple Minds, Television and Wire, there are influences from progressive rock as well as punk.
Renaissance in the 1980s
The 1980s saw a revival of the genre, led by the likes of Marillion, UK, Twelfth Night, IQ, Pendragon, Quasar and Pallas. Groups that emerged during this time are sometimes known as neo-progressive or neo-prog. Bands in this style were influenced by 1970s progressive rock groups such as Genesis, Yes, and Camel, but incorporate some elements of new wave music and other elements of 1980s rock. The digital synthesizer became an important instrument in the style. neo-prog continued into the next decade and beyond with bands like Arena and Jadis.
Some progressive rock stalwart bands changed their musical direction, simplifying their music and making it more commercially viable. In 1981, King Crimson reappeared incorporating a more new wave sound, possibly influenced by Talking Heads (with whom the group's new vocalist, Adrian Belew, collaborated) and Asia released their first pop-oriented album. This proved a market for more commercial British progressive rock - a style very similar to that of Styx and Journey. Genesis shifted in a more commercial direction during the 1980s, and Yes returned with the album 90125 , with their only US number one single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Kiss appears with the album Music from "The Elder" in 1981 and in the same way, A Momentary Lapse of Reason by Pink Floyd in 1987 was a breakthrough compared to their previous concept albums, with much shorter songs and a more electronic sound. This was the first album that the band recorded after the departure of Roger Waters, their main songwriter during the band's previous stage.
Despite the aforementioned simplification or commercialization of the sound, this decade produced some songs today considered classics within the genre, which reflect the essence of progressive rock made in the 1980s, such as 'Subdivisions'; from Rush; "Home by the sea" (part I and II) of Genesis; "Without you" from Asia; "Changes" of Yes or "Ammonia Avenue" by Alan Parsons Project.
1990s and 2000s
Progressive rock enjoyed another resurgence in the 1990s. A notable impetus for this revival was the founding of the Swedish Art Rock Society in 1991, an association created to rescue the values of classic progressive rock, with Pär Lindh as president. This society was a catalyst for new Swedish bands such as Anekdoten, Änglagård, Landberk and Pär Lindh Project, who joined the music scene between 1992 and 1994. These bands became part of the "third wave" of progressive rock, headlined by The Flower Kings from Sweden, Porcupine Tree from the UK, White Willow from Norway and Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Echolyn, Proto-Kaw (a reincarnation of an early Kansas line-up) and Glass Hammer from the United States. Backed by a wide variety of progressive rock talent, Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Ayreon project produced a series of groundbreaking progressive metal concept albums beginning in 1995.
Several of the progressive metal bands—the Americans Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, and Dream Theater, as well as the Swedish band Opeth—cite Rush as one of their main influences, although their music also it exhibits influences from more traditional hard rock and metal bands like Black Sabbath or Deep Purple.
Tool (United States) mentions King Crimson as an influence on their work. King Crimson opened Tool's concerts during their 2001 tour and expressed admiration for the group while continuing to deny the &# label. 34;progressives".
Progressive rock has served as inspiration for genres such as post-rock, avant-garde metal, power metal, neo-classical metal and symphonic metal. Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has acknowledged that the prominent use of progressive elements and qualities in metal is not limited to bands conventionally classified as "progressive metal". Many styles of underground metal (especially extreme metal styles, which are characterized by very fast or very slow speed, high levels of distortion, epic orientation, and often highly unusual melodies, scales, vocal styles, song structures, and, above all, all in death metal, abrupt tempo, key and time signature changes; folk metal is known for often using unusual instruments and other unusual elements) and some bands like Watchtower, Death, Celtic Frost (a band that pioneered various styles) or The 3rd and the Mortal remain little known even to fans of the genre.
Former members of pioneering post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López formed The Mars Volta, a hit prog that incorporates jazz, funk, punk rock, Latin music and ambient noise in songs that range in length from a few minutes to more than thirty. They achieved some success with their 2005 album Frances the Mute, which reached #4 on the Billboard 200 chart after the single "The Widow" it became a hit on modern rock radio.
Coheed and Cambria are another band known for their long solos and structure-agnostic songwriting, in which each song corresponds to an important event in the graphic novel and novel series, The Amory Wars, which was written by singer and guitarist Claudio Sánchez. Other successful rock bands include Radiohead and Muse, who have been cited in the mainstream press as the heirs to the progressive rock mantle, along with Sleepy Hollow, Oceansize, Amplifier, Pure Reason Revolution, The Pineapple Thief, and Mew.
The first decade of the 2000s saw progressive rock gain popularity in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia, where the InProg festival was founded in 2001, and bands like Little Tragedies, EXIT project, Kostarev Group or Disen Gage achieved some success within Russian rock and were known in other countries. Other notable bands from Northern and Eastern Europe are the Turkish band Nemrud, Olive Mess from Latvia and Riverside from Poland. From the former Soviet Union or Asia one could mention From.Uz from the Ukraine or Teru's Symphonia from Japan.
Some of the bands that pioneered the genre in the '70s are still playing. This is the case of Rush, which still maintains its three original members, Yes, which has had some line-up changes, Van der Graaf Generator and Jethro Tull. When the other projects of its members allow it, King Crimson and Camel also return to the stage.
Despite the genre's lack of current popularity, notable resurgences and renewed interest are showing in many and very different countries, from Japan to Peru, passing through Mexico and Argentina, this musical genre continues to attract audiences and admirers from All ages.
Progressive rock in Spain
In Spain, progressive rock also had an ideal field to grow, with its own characteristics, and had its peak during the 1970s, with the simultaneous birth of three key groups of the movement: the Madrid Módulos (1969), the Catalans Machine! (1969) and the Andalusians Smash (1969). Módulos were the most commercially successful thanks to their fusion of symphonic rock with commercial pop and lyrics in Spanish.
On the other hand, a very particular subgenre, Andalusian rock, brought together a series of groups that fused progressive rock with the sensibility of flamenco and even jazz fusion, highlighting a good number of names like Triana, Goma, Guadalquivir, Tabletom, Cai, Imán, or a little later, the Tenerife band Psikopolis, Medina Azahara fusing jazz and metal, the latter contributing a hard rock imprint to Andalusian symphony.
Progressive rock in Latin America
In Argentina the greatest exponents of progressive rock were Crucis, M.I.A., Vox Dei, Alas, Espíritu, Aquelarre, La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, Serú Girán, Almendra, Invisible, Spinetta Jade, El Reloj, Arco Iris, Tantor, Alma y vida, Bubu, Contraluz, Horizonte, Ave Rock, among others. In the 1970s, Argentine progressive rock in turn generated the tango rock subgenre founded by Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly García, Gustavo Moretto, Rodolfo Mederos and some compositions by Astor Piazzolla.
Mexican progressive rock had its heyday during the 1970s and especially in the 1980s. In the early 1970s several rock bands partially ventured into the genre, such as El Ritual ("The Ritual& #34;, 1971), Luz y Fuerza ("We Can Fly", 1971), Toncho Pilatos, in his self-titled debut (1971), where acid rock, touches of blues and even jazz mix with Mexican folk music, Los Dug Dug's, who, already transformed into a trio, begin with a fundamental change, strongly approaching progressive rock, but only on their second album "Smog" (1972) and Náhuatl (homonymous, 1974), where some experimentation on their first album brought the group closer to interesting progressive movements in a couple of cuts.
At the end of the 70s and in the 1980s other groups were formed such as Nobilis Factum ("Mutante", 1982), Iconoclasta (homonymous, 1983), Delirium ("El Teatro del Delirio& #34;, 1984), Praxis ("The Eternity of the Ephemeral", 1987), Maná ("Lack of Love", 1989). It is worth noting the Rock group from the City of Mexicali Cast ("Sounds of Imagination", 1994), who were internationally recognized even in distant countries such as Japan, but in their country they were only followed by a small audience. Others such as Arturo Meza ("No Vamos a Irnos Sin Mar", 1984) ("Venadito de sol", 1993) and Chac Mool ("Nobody in Special", 1980). A proposal closer to Rock in Opposition and jazz also emerged with Banda Elastica ("Banda Elastica 2", 1986).
At the end of the 90s and still in force today, new generations of musicians emerged, venturing into the genre and renewing the sound with fusions with jazz, traditional Mexican music and academic music; of which Cabezas de Cera ("Cabezas de cera", 2000), Gallina negra (Parachicos y paraviejos, 2009), Xochipilli, Alonso Arreola, La Perr, Arteria stand out. All of them have promoted a renaissance of the genre and new bands have emerged in the last 5 years such as Luz de Riada ("Cuentos y fábulas", 2011), Govea ("Danza Urbana", 2012), Sonor-Am ("I am Sound" 2014), Deuol, Umpalumpas, Komodo, Saena, The Return of the Sorcerers, La Gorgona and Khan Karma.
There are large bands currently active such as Jinetes Negros, Baalbek, Maná, Presto Vivace, Sonor-Am, Laquesis and Bandera Negra.
So much so that the large number of International Progressive Rock festivals visited prove it.
In Mexico the "Baja Prog", the "Summers end progressive Rock Festival" (in Bristol), Peru's 2011 Progressive Rock festival, "La Plata Prog" of Argentina, and many other festivals that attract thousands of followers each year, are some examples.
In Chile, Fulano and Los Jaivas stand out, a band born in 1963 and whose music is characterized by its fusion with Latin American roots, avant-garde and classic rock. One of the main characteristics of Los Jaivas' compositions is the accompaniment with electronic instruments that gives them a cosmic atmosphere in some of their classic songs. The last album recorded by the original formation, "Obras de Violeta Parra", stands out as the closest to progressive rock with songs like "Arauco tiene una pena", "Y above burning the sun" or "In the human gardens" with long instrumental intervals.
In the beginning we have bands linked to the first Peruvian rock scene (1957-1975) in which El Polen, Traffic Sound, Pax, Tarkus, El Álamo, Red Amber, etc. stand out. Some with more folkloric overtones, others linked to the hardrock of the time and the most psychedelic.
In Venezuela, the musician Vytas Brenner ("Ofrenda", 1978, as a soloist) formed the group Ofrenda, which is characterized by the fusion between progressive rock and the country's folk music. The band released a series of records such as La Ofrenda de Vytas Brenner (1973), their first work, followed by Hermanos (1974) and Jayeche (1975) before turning to a more commercial sound. In 1977 the band Témpano ("Atabal Yemal", 1980) appeared, which was part of the progressive symphonic genre, as well as the band Estructura (homonymous, 1978) that formed a year later. Other bands and artists such as Spiteri (homonymous, 1973), Fernando Yvosky ("Dos Mundos", 1975), Equilibrio Vital (homonymous, 1983) and Ficción, formed by former members of Aditus and with multiple later formations ("Sobre el Abysmo" released in 2001 with recordings made between 1979 and 1986, "On the crest of the wave", from 2001, and "Sobre la Ira of God", 2011).
In the 80's, the band Frágil stands out, which from 1976 to the present has evolved and covered the different tones of progressive rock. In 1990, with the third wave of progressive, groups like "Fulgor Sedano", "Zendra", "Seres Humanos", "El Aire".
In the 2000s they played "Flor de Loto" and "Supay", among others, remaining up to date. There are two important festivals in Peru dedicated to progressive rock "A Progressive Rock Night" which already has 9 editions and the Lima Prog Fest which already has four editions, vinyl both organized by Sonidos Latentes Producciones. You can find videos and audios of these groups on the Internet.
In the 2010s a "Lima scene" of psychedelic rock that brings together various bands with CD and vinyl editions in Latin America and Europe such as Cholo Visceral, Tortuga, Búho Ermitaño, Virgen Sideral, Tabla Espacial, Spatial Moods, etc. These groups are within the framework of a psychedelic rock movement called "New Latin American Psychedelia", some with more progressive overtones (such as Cholo Visceral), others more linked to heavy music and others to noise.
In Cuba, the group "Anima Mundi" has released four albums of good quality Progressive Symphonic Rock since 2002, performing live in Europe. From Honduras we can mention the band Réquiem, perhaps the only band of the genre, active in its first stage between 1986 and 1992, pioneers in Honduras and Central America. It was reformed in 2009, launching the CD 'Réquiem' on the market. It is still active, launching "Réquiem II" (2010), "Requiem III" (2012) and "The Rockman Catholic Mass" (2013).
Sound
Progressive compositions are characterized by the use of movements, as in classical music works, and by the gradual addition of new instruments that develop the musical themes raised in the piece and improvisation, often close to the canons of jazz, along with an experimental component inherited from electronic music. Characteristics of the genre are long songs, concept albums, ambitious lyrics, the virtuosity of the instrumentalists, and a prominent use of the mellotron and synthesizers. Although not all these traits are always present, they are common in the bands that shaped the genre, such as Soft Machine, The Moody Blues, The Nice, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Camel, Focus, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Pendragon, Supertramp, Mike Oldfield, The Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, Rush, Renaissance or Yes. The concerts of these bands are generally bombastic and spectacular, especially popular groups of the 1970s such as Yes or Pink Floyd, while their lyrics often have literary pretensions, unlike those of groups from other genres.
One of the main influences of this type of music is found in minimalist music (which includes artists such as Steve Reich, John Adams, and Philip Glass) and "Gamelan", the music of Java. A repetitive and hypnotic, potentially trance-inducing element predominates in both types of music. In this sense, progressive rock connects with the aspirations of psychedelia, and many compositions of the genre can be considered as music created to accompany the psychedelic trip or reproduce, without chemical help, its structure and effects. An early example of the application of the minimalist technique to rock is the composition "Sister Ray" by The Velvet Underground.
It is possible to distinguish progressive rock from so-called symphonic rock. Although both genres often overlap, the adjective "symphonic" alludes above all to the orchestral sound, integrated into some pop songs (eg "She's Leaving Home" by The Beatles and "Nights In White Satin" by The Moody Blues) through the use of sections of strings or entire orchestras, or evoked (more cheaply) by primitive samplers like the mellotron or analog synthesizers.
Subgenres and trends
Within progressive rock there are many varieties, styles and mixtures. Among some of the best-known movements that can be considered subgenres of progressive rock, or currents related to it, are the following:
- Sonido Canterbury
Within British progressive rock, a current emerged with a peculiar style, close to jazz and less bombastic, called the Canterbury sound or scene. It is made up of groups such as Soft Machine, Camel, Caravan, Hatfield and the North, Matching Mole and Gong.
- Zeuhl and RIO
There are two subgenres that are much more experimental and radical than the previous one: the zeuhl, invented by the French band Magma; and RIO (Rock in Opposition), whose main exponents are Henry Cow and Univers Zéro. These two subgenres stand out for their complexity and for the influences of jazz, avant-garde composers and classical music, and did not achieve much commercial success.
- Krautrock
At the end of the 1960s, an experimental current called krautrock emerged in the counterculture of West Germany, which is often considered part of progressive rock and included groups such as Ash Ra Tempel, Eloy, Neu!, Can, Faust, Amon Düül II, La Düsseldorf, Popol Vuh, Cluster and Embryo. In this experimental line, we must also highlight the influence of the first solo albums by the British Brian Eno. It is characterized by the use of synthesizers, approaching electronic music and space rock.
- Avant-garde
In the United States, Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention, The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart and The Residents practice an avant-garde (avant-garde) aesthetic heavily influenced by jazz, with continuous changes of rhythm, multiple melodies and changes of style within the same theme, as well as a tendency to make music with critical elements (like The Residents' concept albums).
- Progressive electronic music
Progressive electronic music (progressive electronic in English) is a style founded by bands and artists who introduced synthesizers in a context of progressive and often experimental music. Among the most notable names of this current, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze or Popol Vuh stand out as pioneers and references. The Spanish group Neuronium or the renowned French artist Jean-Michel Jarre also belong to this trend.
- Rock Space
Tangerine Dream was also important in this subgenre, along with Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Ozric Tentacles or Ayreon, developing a mixture of the lysergic sounds of psychedelic rock with the complex structures of prog , in which electronic music and "futuristic" they are not absent.
- Neo-prog
It was practiced by bands that began to emerge in the 80s, who claimed the original parameters of symphonic rock from a rather purist point of view. This new movement is known by the name of neo-progressive rock (neo-prog in English), and its members are heirs to the complexity of Genesis or Yes, although with a modernized sound, which Sometimes it comes close to the AOR and even to the New wave. Marillion was and is the paradigm of neo-prog, along with other important names like Pendragon or Arena.
- Progressive rock - Progressive metal
Heavy rock has always been a genre related to symphonic rock, as evidenced since 1969 by the group Deep Purple when they merged with an orchestra in their Concerto for Group and Orchestra. In the 70s, Deep Purple themselves, together with bands like Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash, Queen, Kansas or Uriah Heep, also contributed to continuing to move closer to the progressive current. However, the Canadians Rush (as well as their lesser-known compatriots from Triumph) and Kiss with the album Music from "The Elder" in 1981, are considered the most accurate antecedent of the subgenre, which properly begins with Queensrÿche in the 1980s, being the salient names that shaped progressive metal (prog metal in English). It is a hybrid in which heavy rock takes the form of ambitious structures, extensive songs with a serious and overloaded tone (many times suites), and a special virtuosity in the execution. Unlike power metal, more based on the warrior epic, the themes of prog metal tend to revolve around more erudite, philosophical, mythological or even psychological issues. Other bands to mention from this subgenre are Tool, Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Crimson Glory, Symphony X Voivod or, in Spain, Dark Moor. Pillar groups of "traditional"heavy metal; like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden have frequently dabbled in progressive metal.
- Post-rock
Although it could be marginally related to progressive rock, the so-called post-rock certainly includes uses, structures and characteristics very typical of prog >, especially from bands like Yes, Pink Floyd or various kautrock artists. In the same way, it gathers influences from electronic music, ambient and experimental rock, as well as symphonic rock, above all through the use of string instruments, generating a markedly personal and heterogeneous style at the same time. They also develop very extensive themes and assembled in a way that is reminiscent of the prog rock suites of the 1970s. Some fundamental names in this subgenre include Sigur Rós, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tortoise or Explosions in the Sky.